Stories from Lockdown

November 25, 2020

Del Mar, CA

 

 

Norman Rockwell and Apple Pie

 

 

What is more American than Norman Rockwell, apple pie, and the Boy Scouts? Unfortunately, it has not been a few good years for the scouts, as scandal after scandal has unfolded. It seems that Catholic priests haven’t been the only predators abusing young men. Ninety-five thousand lawsuits have been filed against the Scouts alleging sexual molestation. That is a lot of cases. 

 

Growing up in a rural community, my friends and I were Cub Scouts. I had a great time in the scouts.  The meetings were fun, as were the football and baseball games that followed. I didn’t become a boy Scout and didn’t have much to do with scouting until I moved to California in 1974. Vicki and I use to backpack in the San Jacinto Wilderness a couple of times a year. Often, we would encounter troops of scouts on backpacking trips also. 

 

Often the scouts were a messy, disorganized group.  We were concerned. It was hot in that area in the Fall and Summer, and often we would encounter Scouts who were ill-equipped and overdressed. Their packs were too big, they carried unnecessary gear, and they were all tired. Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that the hikers were walking alone. Spread out over a mile or two, and we would pass groups of two or three and sometimes single kids. Most people agree that hiking alone is a bad idea!

 

I found this hard to understand until I began working in a professional capacity with some children who happened to be scouts. None alleged molestation, and their parents brought them for treatment for other problems.

 

As the kids were telling me about their trips, I was aghast once again. Fifty miles in a canoe is too much for anyone. Ten-mile hikes aren’t a good idea. What I learned was that the leaders were parents who often had little outdoor experience. The well-meaning parents, but they didn’t have the competence to lead wilderness trips. Not surprisingly, these trips frequently turned into disasters! 

 

 

When the situation called for it, I encouraged young people to attend skill-building programs like The National Outdoor Leadership School. The scouts, if the organization survives, need to do many things.